Apologetics is needed for the Christian task of evangelizing in a postmodern world. In this essay, the nature of truth will be presupposed as being absolute, as is the definition of the word. Truth must not and cannot be used in the irrational sense that multiple truths can exist.
Nature, Purpose, and Justification of Christian Apologetics
Christian apologetics involves establishing logical, historical, and scientific facts that correspond with reality. As believers, we presuppose that all general revelation in our world points back to God. However, this presupposition is not necessary for God to be revealed as single Lord of the universe. With this understanding grasped, apologists are able to proceed confidently because they can know that even from an unbiased perspective, the truth of the Christian Faith is still apparent.
The purpose of Christian apologetics is both offensive and defensive. The defending of the Christian faith is in regards to its rational and compelling Biblical claims, and the presentation of them as absolute. On the offensive front, apologists must become and remain intentional to point out contradictions and inconsistencies of other various arguments which are leading others astray. Compassion for the lost is key. Both defending Christian claims and debunking false truth claims can be done through logical thought, and historical and scientific proofs.
The justification for the task is found in the scriptures, God’s specific revelation to his people. Solomon expresses reality in his statement "This only have I found. God created mankind upright, but they have gone in search of many schemes," # and Paul gives us the exhortation to demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and to take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ. # As believers, we should heed Paul’s words in our own lives, as well as our outward efforts in evangelism.
The Importance of Worldview for Apologetics
Worldview is crucial to apologetics. “A worldview is, first of all, an explanation and interpretation of the world and second, an application of this view to life. In simpler terms, our worldview is a view of the world and a view for the world." # Worldviews are not reserved for formal philosophers, but rather are apparent in the convictions of every person. "Some convictions are conscious, while others are unconscious, but together they form a more or less consistent picture of reality." #
Before I approach the reasons for the importance of worldview, let me stress my belief that regardless of which Faith people prescribe to, they have a worldview which is logically implied. However, "many people fail to bring their worldviews into critical focus." #
But this should not be, faith and worldview should flow back and forth, interpreting and affirming each other.
My question is, what is the point of faith if it does not dictate the worldview? Many moderns, or more accurately postmodernists, would ask that faith be kept to oneself and practiced only inside the home. If all Faith leads to worldview, then by privatizing it, (i.e. taking out the worldview) the Faith loses its essence.
Here lies one importance of worldview for apologetics. If Christianity is the only Faith which offers a true, logical and non-contradicting worldview, then the request to privatize Faith can only be seen as an attack on Christianity. Through apologetics, we must present the fact that any and all actions imply a worldview and therefore a faith, and then challenge that faith until the point of inconsistency is exposed.
As Francis Schaeffer stated, many non-believers cannot live within the logical implications of their beliefs,# and I think one of the major worldviews that needs to be challenged is postmodernism.
The Christian Worldview
The Christian worldview is a "Christ-centered, Spirit-led, Bible-honoring way of being," # and as the apostle John tells us that it “sets people free.”# It is the logical worldview that follow the Christian Faith. The Christian Faith affirms the supernatural creation through a single god existing in three forms, the fall which placed us “under God’s righteous condemnation and without hope in ourselves,” # redemption through the atonement and defeat of death, and hope in the eschaton that we will see God face to face and be ultimately perfected. Evangelism happens in light of the reality of what has happened and in the hope of what is to come.
The Christian worldview that follows this Christian faith, affects theology, philosophy, ethics, biology, psychology, sociology, law, politics, economics, and history. # What this implies, is that it is not appropriate for any believer to become, nor to remain, a relativist in any of these areas, although sadly, this is where so many remain. (I am not implying that by having differing views in these areas, one is considered a relativist. I am simply stating all of the views cannot be true at the same time.) Basic strategy for defending the christian worldview
In a world of so many different beliefs, and different concepts in regards to those beliefs, Christians must not underestimate their apologetic task. When evangelizing, we must always be aware of our we are being interpreted. In light of our postmodern culture, or more accurately our relative culture, we now have to start “the conversation” by taking a step back and discussing the concept of truth as being absolute, before delivering the truth that is Christianity.
It is crucial to understand and to not ignore the perspective of our audience. If we do, we run the risk of our audience misinterpreting our message. We must understand the context into which we are speaking, so we may proceed in an effective way. So many times we let ourselves get in the way, whether that be our arrogance in wanting to appear in a certain way to our audience, not ever stopping to think our audience actually might want to hear what we have to say, or letting our insecurity get the best of us. We need to meditate on the fact that God does not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power and love and self-control. #
We must remain prayerful, begging that the Holy Spirit would give us words that would penetrate the hearts of the lost. That we would be able to “hit home” in a way that stresses the importance of this life giving and life saving message of the cross. Finally, we must commit to do everything in our power to not allow any trace of apathy or indifference to be left in the person. Intellectual sloth can be considered one of the major hindrances to people receiving the gospel. It must not be taken lightly but rather should keep us on our knees as we remember we, too, were once lost. #
Paul writes in his second letter to Timothy that servants of the Lord “must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness.” # He goes on to say that perhaps God will grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of truth, and my hope is that we are ready and available when this happens.
Conclusion
As Jeff Ventrella of the Alliance Defense Fund once said, we must give enough apologetics to clear the path, then get back to the Gospel. In our modern world full of distractions, agendas, confusions, and contradictions, we must remove any obstacles keeping anyone from humbly coming to Faith in the Lord. As Paul tells, we are Christ’s ambassadors, through which He makes His appeal, to beg others to be be reconciled to God.#
We must continue doing our part through discipleship, and becoming more competent in our witness for Him. If while evangelizing, or simply leading our lives as followers of Christ, we do not insist upon what God has to say about a certain realm as crucial, we will encourage the misimpression that it falls outside the command and will of God, and that Christianity deals with private concerns only. # This will only fuel our current culture of relativism and shallow Christians who are unequipped to face the challenges that present themselves daily.
We must be on our guard to expose what is happening in our world, all the while remaining aware of the end goal. One very important fallacy that the postmodernists evoke is the fallacy of self-refutation. They are making an absolute truth claim that absolute truths do not exist. We must point this out intentionally while remaining gentle. If in the midst of proclaiming the message of Christ we seccum to worldy ways, we have effectively done nothing but to make the evangelistic task harder on ourselves as a whole because we will have perpetuated a culture which is basically void of Christ-likeness. We also need to take very seriously that we are being representatives of Christ, and strive in every means possible to do this with the utmost focus and dedication to the work and drawing people to His kingdom.
Bibliography
1) Groothuis, Douglas. Christian Apologetics: A Comprehensive Case For Biblical Faith. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2011.2) Henry, Carl F.H. Twilight of a Great Civilization. Westchester: Crossway, 1988.
3) Noebel, David A. Understanding the Times. Manitou Springs: Summit Press, 2006.
4) Pearcey, Nancy. Total Truth. Westchester: Crossway, 2004.
5) Phillips, Brown, John Stonestreet. Making Sense of Your World: A Biblical Worldview, 2nd Ed. Salem: Sheffield Publishing, 2008.
6) Schaeffer, Francis A. The God Who Is There, 2nd ed. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1982.
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